Method and arrangement in a wireless communication system

An apparatus for transmitting scheduling requests to a base station adapted to serve the user equipment, wherein the apparatus is configured to transmit scheduling requests to the base station only at certain predetermined scheduling request opportunities, the apparatus comprising:

• a scheduling request transmission trigger, configured to trigger a scheduling request transmission;
• a transmitter, configured to transmit a scheduling request to the base station at the next occurring scheduling request opportunity as a response to the triggered scheduling request transmission;
• and
• a scheduling request prohibiting timer, configured to start when the scheduling request is transmitted first time and to prohibit any further scheduling request retransmission at future scheduling request opportunities while the scheduling request prohibiting timer is running, wherein the scheduling request prohibiting timer is configured with a scheduling request prohibiting timer length which is equal to a time between two scheduling request opportunities multiplied by a factor k, wherein k is a positive integer.

A method in a base station for assisting a user equipment in transmitting scheduling requests to the base station, the base station is adapted to serve the user equipment, the user equipment is configured to transmit scheduling requests to the base station only at certain predetermined scheduling request opportunities, the method comprising:

• determining a factor k, wherein k is a positive integer, to be transmitted to the user equipment, enabling the user equipment to calculate a scheduling request prohibiting timer length;
• transmitting the determined factor k to the user equipment;
• receiving scheduling requests from the user equipment, wherein each scheduling request is separated from a subsequent scheduling request by an amount of time at least equal to a time between two scheduling request opportunities multiplied by the factor k;
• and
• scheduling the user equipment in response to one or more of the received scheduling requests.

An apparatus for assisting a user equipment in transmitting scheduling requests to a base station adapted to serve the user equipment, the user equipment is configured to transmit scheduling requests to the base station only at certain predetermined scheduling request opportunities, the apparatus comprising:

• a determination unit, configured to determine a factor k, wherein k is a positive integer, to be transmitted to the user equipment in order for the user equipment to calculate a scheduling request prohibiting timer length;
• a transmitter, configured to transmit the determined factor k to the user equipment;
• a receiver configured to receive scheduling requests from the user equipment, wherein each scheduling request is separated from a subsequent scheduling request by an amount of time at least equal to a time between two scheduling request opportunities multiplied by the factor k;
• and
• a scheduler, configured to schedule the user equipment in response to one or more of the received scheduling requests.

A method in a user equipment for transmitting scheduling requests to a base station, the base station is adapted to serve the user equipment, the user equipment is configured to transmit scheduling requests to the base station only at certain predetermined scheduling request opportunities, the method comprising:

• triggering a scheduling request transmission;
• transmitting a scheduling request to the base station at the next occurring scheduling request opportunity as a response to the triggering;
• starting a scheduling request prohibiting timer, comprised in the user equipment, when the scheduling request is transmitted to the base station;
• and
• prohibiting any further scheduling request retransmission at future scheduling request opportunities while the scheduling request prohibiting timer is running, wherein the scheduling request prohibiting timer is configured to a scheduling request prohibiting timer length which is equal to the time between two scheduling request opportunities multiplied with a sum of a factor k and a random variable l, wherein k and l are positive integers.

An apparatus for transmitting scheduling requests to a base station adapted to serve user equipment, wherein the apparatus is configured to transmit scheduling requests to the base station only at certain predetermined scheduling request opportunities, the apparatus comprising:

• a scheduling request transmission trigger, configured to trigger a scheduling request transmission;
• a transmitter, configured to transmit a scheduling request to the base station at the next occurring scheduling request opportunity as a response to the triggered scheduling request transmission;
• and
• a scheduling request prohibiting timer, configured to start when the scheduling request is transmitted first time and to prohibit any further scheduling request retransmission at future scheduling request opportunities while the scheduling request prohibiting timer is running, wherein the scheduling request prohibiting timer is configured to a scheduling request prohibiting timer length which is equal to the time between two scheduling request opportunities multiplied with a sum of a factor k and a random variable l, wherein k and l are positive integers.